Hops can Save The Bees!

Did you know that Beer Hops are Beneficial to Honey Bees? This basic ingredient in beer can be used to reduce diseases in honey bee colonies!

PMS or Parasitic Mite Syndrome is a condition that causes a honey bee colony to deteriorate and eventually dwindle away and die. The scientific magazine Experimental and Applied Acarology published an experiment that tested the pesticidal properties of hops beta acids (HBA) against this disease. HBA’s, being non-toxic to humans, is known to repel plant-sucking pests. The test included inserting HBA extracted from the cones of hop plants, usually used in brewing beer, into honey bees colonies that had the Parasitic Mite Syndrome.

Though the effects of health recovery lasted for only a week, HBA seems promising in drastically improving health, vitality, and robustness of honey bee population. It was concluded that it prevented bee mortality and served to identify multiple applications that may, eventually, fully control outbreaks. Future experiments may give answers to complex situations that preserve the bee’s health and improves biodiversity, with a beer at hand as always! AtBeeBeer!